Iienky j



(No Model.)

H. J. WILLIAMS.

BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT EOE SEWING MACHINES.

No. 399,304. Patented MEI'. 12, 1889.

N PETERS, Pnowulhngnpher, wmngmnA D c UNTTEE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY J. YVILLIAHS, OF NElV YORK, N. Y., ASSTGNOR TO THE HARRTS BITT- TO HOLE ATTACHMENT COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BUTTON-HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,304, dated March 12, 1889.

Application filed November 29, 1887. Serial No. 256,394. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom, ma 1J' concern.: I. which is mounted the dliving-wheelC, which. lie it known that l, HENRY J. WILLIA ns, of constitutes the principal feed-operator of; the the city, county, and Stateoi New `York, have machine, and also the actuating` verticallyinvented a new and useful Improvement in vibrating' lever D. by means ot' which thc 55 Button-Hole Attachments for Sewing-Masaid ratchet-wheel is operated. The said ehines; and l hereby declarethe l'ollowilrgto lever l) is made oli' two pieces, (l. and d. be a t'ull and clear description thereof. placed side h v side and in contact with each This invention relates to i1nprownnents in other, and held together by an assembling- (as described in my application, SeriV No. screw, di, so thatihe said pieces d and d may 6o [o 230,260, filed )lay 24,1887) a somewhat simihe adjusted so as to make the said lever D lar mechanismheretofore invented by myself throw more or less up or down t'or the purand it consists in certain mechanisms for adpose `of adapting' it to a higher or lower justing the machine to different lengths oi.' needle-har, and thereby :ulairitingthe buttonbutton-holes, and in certain improvements in hole mechanism to any required sewing-ma 65 I 5 the construction of the operating-lever and chine. The forward or free end of the said. attached mechanisms, all of which are hereactuating-leverD is bifureated or slotted at d3, inaiter specifically described. for attaehmentto the needle-bar of the sewing- The invention will bereadily understood by i machine to which it is to be attached by any reference to the accon'ipanying drawings, of l suitable lug formed on or attached to the said 7o 2O Whichneedle-bar of the sewing-machine, it being Figure l is a `general plan of the improved readily adapted to enter into the said notch l'mtton-hole attachment. Fig. 2 is a side eled3, and thereby move the said actuating-lever vation of it. Fig. il is a bottom plan of it. ofthe button-hole attachment or mechanism Fig. 4.- is a detailed plan view of the adjustup and down with the corresponding move- 7 2 5 ing mechanism of the feed-plate to regulate ments of the said needle-bar. The ratchetit to the length of button-hole required. wheel C has teeth or serrations c formed on Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional elevation of its periphery, and also serrated teeth or lugs the parts shown Yin Fig. 4. Fig'. is an end c and c2 formed on its sides near its periphelevation ot the rear end of the machine, ery. The pawl-D is pivoted at or near one 8o showing` only the ends of the ad justing and of its ends to the piece d ot' the lever D by feed plates and the attachments thereto bethe pin d, and is provided at or near its said longing, and with one of the laterally-adjustpivotfpin with a suitable engagement-spring, ing hooks engaged with the edge of the feedand at its other end it is made to engage with plate to hold it in one of its peculiar lateral the teeth or serrations c of the wheel C, and 85 positions. Fig. 7 is a similar view to Fig. (i, so move the said ratchet-wheel forward in a except that both ot the lateral hooks are disseries of intermittent movements as the actuengaged. 8 'is a transverse section on ating-arm D is moved up and down by the the line a' ai of Fig. 3. successive strokes of the needle-bar, as above The primary mechanisms of this improved described. The ratchet-wheel C in its move- 9o 40 attachment are quite similar to the correl ments is controlled more or less by a` tensionsponding parts in the machine heretofore inspring;7 C', which presses againstit-s side and vented by me, and describedin application, Seretains it in position for the next succeeding rialNo. 239,260, iiled May 24, l887,and consists stroke of the actuating-arm D. A laterallyof the common bed-plate A, to which the other vibrating lever, E, is pivoted to the bed-plate 9 5 parts are assembled, and attached to the at e, andin its central part carries upwardlypresser-foot bar of the sewing-machine in any proj ecting arms c. The upwardly-projecting` suitable manner, and in connection therewith ends ot the vertical arms e are arranged to the following-described parts: To this bedembrace the lower part of the ratchet-wheel plate is attached upwardly-projecting arms C. At each movement of the said wheel C roo 5o B, which form an abutment or lug for the atone of the lugs c or c2 (they being placed altachment and support of the axle B', on ternately on opposite sides ot the said wheel vlength of a button-hole stitch.

for this purpose) engages with the said lever E e', and moves it first toward one side and then toward the other side in a reciprocating movement eoincidin with the vertical strokes of the needle-bar of the sewing-machine attached to the actuating-lever, as above described. This reciprocating movement of the vibrating lever ,E is transmitted, through a spring-pawl, e, to a horizontally-rotating feed ratchet-wheel, F, mounted on a vertical axle or post, F', seated in the inner end of the plate A. These movements are utilized to produce the forward and backward and zigzag movements of the feeding-plate G and its presser-foot G', suitable and requisite for forming the button-hole work in the manner hereinbelow described. The said feedingplate G is an elongated metal plate, somewhat longer and narrower than the plate A, below which itis seated, and to which it is held by au assembling-screw or pivot-pin, which permits the said feedipla te a laterally-vibrating movement, and also a horizontally-slding movemen t.

All of the above-deseribed parts are quite similar to the corresponding parts in my former machine above alluded to and described in application Serial No. 230,260, filed May 2l, 1887; and the improvements consist in the adjustment devices hereinbelow described as belonging tothe adjustment devices for the limit of movement of the feeding-plate G to regulate the length of the button-hole to be worked, and also to the construction and mechanism of the operating-leverl).

The rear end of the feed-plate G is provided with two parallel toothed racks, g and g2, placed a short distance apart, as in Figs. 1 and 1l, so as to form an open space or aperture, g, between them.

A fixed rack-piece, y, joins the front ends of the racks gand g2, so as to form a continuous rack at the front end of the said aperture, and a sliding rack-piece, g", .is made to move horizontally between the said pieces g' and g2, so as to lengthen or shorten the space g. lith the sliding' piece g4 placed in any of its positions of adjustment, the teeth of the said rack -pieces g g2 g"E g4 form a continuous cogged rack about a rectangular space, g, and into this eogged rack a small pinion, g5, gears. This cogged pinion is mounted on the spindle F', and is rotated by the pawl ci and ratchet F. As the said pinion g5 is rotated, it feeds along the cogged racks g g2 gg g", and carries or moves the said feed-plate G around the contour of the button-hole in a series of intermittent movements, each the required rl`he spindle of the said pinion gi occupies a relativelyfixed position, so that by its rotation it moves the said eogged racks g', g2, g3, and g about it, thus giving to the presser-Biot G a corresponding movement, as it is lixed to the opplate G, appear the edges of the slotted part of the said feed-plate G in Fig. 4, and against these edges rests the shank of the spindle F', below the said pinion g", and this forms a guide for the said spindle to run on. Gudingbloeks f/and gf guide lthe other side of the said spindle in turning the ends of the `slot g, so as to keep the pinion up to iis work on the said racks. As the pinion moves along the end racks, g3 and g4, 1t throws the feed-plate .G toene side or the other, as the case may be, and thus adjusts the presser-foot G to one side or the other of the button-hole to be worked. W'hen thrown over thus to one side or the other, the feedplatc is held in that position, while the rack g or g (as the case may be) is being traversed by the pinion Q,by means of one of the lateral holding-hooks, H or H', as shown in Figs. G and 7. pivoted to the transverse plate-frame H2 at 7L and 7L', and they are provided,respectively, with aetuatingsprings 71.2 and hi", to throw them into contact with and hook over the said plate G, as in Fig. (i. The sliding block Q7, which regulates the length of the aperture g, is attached to the plate G, as shown in Fig. 5, and at its outer end it is provided with an operating-knob, I, and a spring-clutch, l', which said clutch has a downwardly-projecting tooth, i', which engages with one of the notches t" of the feed-plate, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. Ey lifting the knob l up the tooth 'i is disengaged from the notch i', and then the block gf' may be moved along, so' as to shorten or lengthen the guiding-recess g, as and for the purpose above described.

The lever D in this machine is fulerumed at its rear end to a supporting lug or post,D2, attached to the bed-plate A, and its adj ustable section d' is movable up or down by means of the adjusting-screw d2 moving up or down in the slot di. This mechanism enables me to place the said lever at one side of the machine, as shown in Fig. Land obviates the necessity of slotting it for thc axle B', as in my former machine.

The lateral holdingdiooks ll Il are disengaged from the edge of the feed-plate G in the following-described manner: Then the said fced-plate is moved forward by the pinion g5 to the forward limit of its movement, the inclined plane or wedge-piece gs, (shown in Fig. 2,) afxed to the bottom of the plate G, slides over the shank of the hook H and forces it down, so as to release its hold from the edge of the piece G, thereby allowing the said feed-plate G to move freely to the other side as the pinion g5 moves along the rack g4. At the other or backward limit of the movement of the feed-plate G the edge of the plate G is rounded off, as at g" in Fig. 8, and as soon as this rouruled-olf space is moved opposite the hook H the said hook automatically slides down and off of the said rounded or beveled edge, and thus the feed-plate is released at that end of the stroke, and the said These hooks are respectively roo ISO

a continuous forward and backward and lateral movement of the 1" eed-pl ate is maintained by the aforesaid movements of the actuating'- pinion gfl so long; as it is in gear with the said racks.

A cloth-holder, l, is attached to a lng', 7i', fixed to the bottom ot' the bed-plate A near its center, and extends thence forward to the presser-foot, Vfor the reception of which it slotted, as in Fig'. I), thereby forming a perfeet cloth-holder in a single piece, in combination with the said presser-foot G.

l-Iaving` described my invention, I claiml. ln a button-hole attachment for sewinghooks at one extremity of the longitudinal machines, the eomliination, substantially as hereinljietore set forth, of the bed-plate, the feed-plate having' a longitudinal slot, g, at its rear end,tl1e toothed rack above the slot and around its edge, the driving-pinion engaging' with the rack, the guide-blocks at each end of the slot, and the hooks hinged to the bed-plate and engaging with opposite sides ot the feedplate, for the purpose specified.

lfn a button-hole attachment for sewinginaehines, the combinatioil, substantially as i hereinbeforc set forth, of the bed-plate, the

feed-plate, the toothed .rack on the feed-plate, the drivin g-pinion engaging,` therewith, means for driving' the pinion, and the hooks hinged to the bed-plate and engaging with opposite sides of the feed-plate for holding` the pinion in engagement with the rack.

3. In a button-hole attachment for sewingmaehines, the combination, substantially as hereinbetore set forth, of the bed-plate, the feed-plate, the toothed rack on the feed-plate, the driving-pinion engaging with the rack, the hooks hinged to the bed-plate and engagin g with opposite sides of the feed-plate, the block having an inclined lower face, g8, Secured to the feed-plate for disengaging the movement ot' the feed-plate, said feed-plate being provided with a oui-ved or rounded end to allow the hooks to disengage themselves at the other extremity of its longitudinal movelncnt.

HERY J. VILLIAMS.

\VitnessV s:

W. L. BENNEM, lf. C. FROST. 

